To Infinity and Beyond!
So halfway through January, with a broken treadmill, trying to keep running going. Yes, treadmill broke last week. Not a crisis as we are having warmer than usual weather here. Today we’re going to talk about how to keep running once you’ve started. Sometimes this means adding a mile to a run. Or taking a walk break. Or running one more lap around the block to lasso or roundup your mileage.
We have a street sign about a mile from our house that says “Infinity” and every time I see it when I am running by, it triggers these thoughts of “run longer” “run stronger”. Keep going. All because it has the word infinity on it. You see infinity does not end. It’s like the 8 on it side.
Sunny infinity with stop sign shield
So even if I”m running short and run by that sign on the route (and see it/think about it), that lengthens my run. Usually I predict to my wife/daughter how far I’m running. Both have learned to “roundup” a mile or two because Dad tends to go longer. Especially if he runs by Infinity. For example, on MoveItMonday, I usually just run a MondayMile.
One mile, 5 miles. Seriously, what’s the difference?
What’s even more striking is there is a stop sign near the Infinity sign which sends the message of “stop running” “go home” “wrap it up”. But then I look at Infinity. And Infinity almost always wins. Because you cannot stop infinity, it goes on endlessly. This particular stop sign applies mainly to cars, not necessarily to runners. But Infinity is universally applicable to all.
Google Auto-awesomed version of today’s Infinity!
Can you run to infinity? Even if it means pretending at first and using that little subliminal message to turnaround your running to a more fiery variety.
Try this exercise: Close your eyes and visualize infinity! Dare to dream (Remember Martin Luther King, Jr.: “I have a dream!”) and use your imagination! What do you see? Perhaps to you this might mean easily running effortlessly for a long distance with colorful, bold scenery. Maybe it just means running a tiny bit further than you are comfortable with now. Expand your comfort zone so you can grow. Try this for at least 5-15 minutes (or more) of thought and contemplation. Let your imagination run wild! Happy infinite running!
P.S. Some of you have asked how many miles I ran in 2014. I failed to include that in my wrap-up post earlier this month. I ran 2,066 miles, more than my 2,014 goal. I’ve run past 100 miles for 2015.
Somewhere over 100 miles, the number changes so quickly with daily runs it’s hard to keep up.
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